Funeral for Detroit Osborn football coach George Coker to be held Thursday in Inkster

Detroit Osborn head football coach George Coker passed away on Thursday, April 24, 2014 as a result of a heart attack. The funeral is set for Thursday at 6 p.m. at Pilgrim Traveler's Missionary Baptist Church in Inkster.

(Correction: The article originally stated in the story that Coker was a coach of Detroit Cody. This was incorrect. It should have read Detroit Osborn. The article has since been corrected.)

George Coker had a passion for changing lives.

Whether it was as a pastor at Pilgrim Traveler’s Missionary Baptist Church in Inkster, as a physical education teacher or as the football coach for Detroit Osborn High School, Coker was fully invested in those around him.

Unfortunately, the Osborn community will be without Coker's daily presence as he passed away suddenly on Thursday, April 24, 2014 because of a heart attack. Coker was 45 years old and had worked at Osborn for the last 18 years.

"He was a mentor for the kids," Osborn athletic director Lonell Williams said. "He really had the kids' best interests at heart. He will be truly missed, not only as a teacher and coach, but as a father figure as well."

The funeral will be Thursday at 6 p.m. at Pilgrim Traveler's Missionary Baptist Church, located at 2945 John Daly, Inkster, MI.

Coker had a passion for keeping his students on the straight and narrow, even bringing them along to church on Sundays, if only to keep them off the streets.

"He put God first and instilled that in the kids," Williams said. "He always told them about having faith and doing the right thing, making the right decisions. The think that helped a lot of the kids, especially the ones without fathers at home. It was having someone they could talk to and relate to. He had an open ear for them at any time."

Williams said crisis counselors are on hand this week to help any of the students and players cope with the loss of Coker. As much of a loss it is for the kids, Coker's loss has had a profound impact on the staff of the school too.

"He was a coworker, a friend and minister to me as well," Williams said. "As an employee here, he always inspired the staff - not only the students. He would always have something positive to say. He endured some tough times."

There will also be three visitation sessions held at the Northwest Chapel of the James H. Cole Home for Funerals located at 16100 Schaefer Hwy. in Detroit. The first session is 7-9 p.m. on Tuesday night, followed by visitations on Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.